Psst …. Hey, buddy, wanna buy a pile of dirt and a giant tarp? Both can be your for 350 clams.
No? What if it’s the pitcher’s mound and the infamous right field “wall,” known disdainfully as “the baggie,” from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome?
Interested now? Because the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority has put both up for auction through the state’s Department of Administration Surplus Services.
The Pioneer Press reports that more than a dozen items used at the Dome are posted on the state’s online auction site for the next week or so, and more will be offered as they become available.
According to the state’s web site, the baggie is 16 feet by 190 and comes with Velcro on the top and bottom edges, “advertising not included.” The starting bid is set at $100.
Under “pitching mound” on the state’s web site, you’ll find that the MSFA is hocking a lump of dirt (regulation height 10 inches) that has been used as the mound at the Dome since 2004 is set at $250. Both items have 10 days remaining on the auction site called MinnBid.
Baseball Outsider points out that the mound “on which Johan Santana won two Cy Youngs, Frank Viola one, and Jack Morris threw one of baseball’s most famous shutouts can be yours,” but that’s only partially true, as the PiPress points out, since it’s only been in place since 2004. So, the Johan Santana Cy Youngs in 2004 and 2006 are in play here.
Here’s the catch: No shipping. You have to pick both items up in Arden Hills.
